Question

Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. Here, King contrasts two ideas for emphasis. Which rhetorical device is he using?

a) Metaphor.
b) Parallelism.
c) Irony.
d) Alliteration.

Answer 1

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is using the rhetorical device of parallelism in his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" where he contrasts two ideas for emphasis.

Step-by-step explanation:

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is using the rhetorical device of parallelism.

Parallelism is the use of similar structures or patterns in a sentence or paragraph to emphasize or compare ideas. In this excerpt from his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," King contrasts the idea of creating tension in the mind for individuals to rise from bondage to the realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal with the need for nonviolent gadflies to create tension in society to help men rise from prejudice and racism to understanding and brotherhood.

Through this parallel structure, King highlights the importance of tension and disruption in promoting social progress, using the example of Socrates' belief in creating tension in the mind to challenge myths and half-truths. This rhetorical device enhances the persuasive impact of King's argument.